Asthma
by Speen
Summary: Spain has asthma and he hates it, it makes his feel weak. Luckily he has a friend like Prussia.


"Damn you frog face!"

"It wasn't my fault you dropped it, black sheep of Europe!"

Antonio leaned back in his chair, smiling as he listened to the other nations argue. He never knew why but their fighting always amused him. A sudden shiver ran up his spine and he glared at the air conditioner. Those things scared him. After all they trigger attacks. And lucky him, he was seated right beside the evil thing. Those demon spawns were the reason why he sweat like a dog in the summer, why he currently his chest constricting painfully, why everyone was staring.

 _Shit._

 _Please no._

Antonio felt a warm hand be placed on his upper arm and looked up at the owner, trying to smile through the tightness in his chest. Bright golden eyes looked at him with hidden worry.

"Spain, bastard, do you need to leave for a bit?"

Ah, Romano. One of the only people to know about his health issue. He'd found out one night when Spain had come home one day after a fight that left the older nation breathless. He'd been wheezing heavily as he ran throughout the house, searching for the inhaler he had hidden away for years. Lovino had been terrified as he watched the man rip through rooms, destroying vases and picture frames in his panic to breathe. After he had found his inhaler and taken some puffs of the medical air, he'd sat the sobbing Romano down and told him he had asthma. And that he sometimes had trouble breathing because of it. Romano hadn't known what it meant at the time but now that he was older he knew to watch Spain closely when he looked short of breath or panicky.

"Tomato bastard!" He heard a voice call from his right and jumped as he was torn from his thoughts.

"¿Sí Romanito?" He managed to mumble quietly.

"Were you even listening, jerk?" Romano huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.

Spain nodded dizzily, the knot in his stomach tightening as he spoke. "Claro que sí, Lovi.." He lied. But why? What was the point in doing so?

 _Damn the stupid air conditioner._

He heard Romano babble from his seat, probably scolding him for lying, but he wasn't listening. He was currently focusing on breathing correctly. In and out, in and out.

"Spain!" Why did he sound so annoyed?

 _In and out._

"Spagna?"

 _In and out._

"Hey, Spain! Calm down!" What?

 _In and out._

Spain began to wheeze, he couldn't breathe. He just couldn't. And in a public place full of other nations who could use it against him.

 _In and out._

He stood up and rushed for the exit of the building, ignoring the calls of his name. All he wanted was to run far away and never be found, never have to face the people who discovered his weakness ever again. His head spun and his breathing was short and quick. He needed his inhaler, but it was in the room he was staying in.

 _In and out._

Spain slammed the door to his room open and searched for his red inhaler. -"Like a tomato~!"" He had said upon buying it.- When he found the device he shoved it in his mouth, pressing down on the side a few times, inhaling the medical air. His air ways began to open again and he felt the knot in his chest loosen upon finally getting the air he needed. Antonio set his inhaler on the dresser beside the bed and laid down, his head in his hands. Sobs racked his body as he realized what had happened. Everyone knew. They saw his weakness. They could and would use it against him. They would laugh. Laugh in his face for being so weak, so pathetic. He needed to relax, to clear his head, to forget about this whole fiasco. Spain knew where to go.

The warm autumn wind ran through Spain's hair, tussling the already messy and tangled brown locks. Autumn had to be his favorite season, not too hot and not too cold. It was perfect. He hated the cold weather as it always triggered his asthma. He always felt the weakest during the winter. Though he enjoyed the snow and the hot chocolate~! He closed his eyes, just listening to the world around him. Whenever he had a big asthma attack and needed to calm down, the silence and nature were nice and relaxing. He'd take some puffs of his inhaler and lay here, listening for hours. The sudden feeling of another presence made him snap his eyes open and look up. Who could have possibly found him? Found his special place? Only four people ever knew of it's existence! Unless...  
Antonio saw ruby red eyes looking back at him and immediately his mind clicked, Gilbert. Of course it was him. Prussia would always follow him here, the albino always had to make sure Spain was alright after an attack.

"Hey..." Spain mumbled, resting his head against the tree behind him. Gilbert sat down beside him, frowning.

"You okay man..? The whole meeting is really worried about you..." Prussia's eyes traveled to the left. "You've...never had one in there before...what happened..?" Antonio gulped, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"That damned air conditioning." Spain looked up at his red eyed friend. "The cold air made it hard for me to breathe and I...I panicked...I had to get out of there, the stares were too much and I needed my inhaler...It's pathetic." He bit his lip, disappointed in himself. "I'm so weak that the smallest things trigger an attack." Tears welled up in his bright green eyes and he clenched his hands into fists. "I'm fucking pathetic." A surprised gasp left his pursed lips as Gilbert grasped his shoulders and hooked a finger under his tan chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"Antonio, stop saying untrue shit like that!" Prussia growled, watching the others face closely. "You're one of the strongest nations I know! A little health issue will never make you pathetic, everyone has issues Toni...asthma will never make me think any less of you. You're my best bud!" He shifted his grip and pulled Spain into a tight hug. "I know it makes you feel weak, pathetic but you aren't. We all have weaknesses, Tonio. We've all thought the same as you but none of it's true." Wetness. That's all Antonio felt rolling down his cheeks. He was crying. Again. But something felt different. His heart didn't feel so cold, so constricting. Slowly, Antonio hugged Gilbert back, clutching his shirt in a tight grasp.

"Gilberto." He whispered, sniffling. "Gracias, mi amigo." Somehow Prussia always knew how to make him feel better, how to feel important. He was always there to tell him he wasn't pathetic for having asthma, always there to hold him and stroke his hair, to make everything alright. He could never repay him for that.

"Don't thank me, I'm only stating the truth. One day I hope you see it...I hope you see how strong you are, how asthma doesn't shape you as a person, you do." Gilbert made soothing circular motions on his back, holding him close as he let him cry on his shoulder. And just like that the happiness began to bubble in his chest again and his heart was no longer throbbing painfully, now it only did flips of joy and slight pride.

"G-gracias.." He said again, tightening his grip on the white hair male in his grasp.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to thank me?" A smile spread across Prussia's face and he shook his head.

"I guess you'll just have to keep telling me then..." Spain felt his eyelids getting heavy and a yawn crawled up his throat. He leaned his head against Gilbert's chest, listening to his strong heart beat. The sound was relaxing him, sending him to sleep. Noticing this, Gilbert chuckled at him.

"Tired are we?" He asked, raising a perfectly plucked white eyebrow.

"Mhm..." Spain grunted, barely awake.

"Then go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Prussia hummed, running his fingers through his friends messy brunette hair.

"Mkay..." Antonio yawned again, finally giving into the power of sleep. "Buenas noches." He murmured before he fell into a calm, deep sleep.

"Gute nacht." Prussia whispered, leaning against the tree Antonio had been leaning on when he found him. Slowly, he too succumbed to sleep.


End file.
